Chef J BBQ

We’re from out of town, and in our five days in Kansas City, we ate a lot of BBQ with our local friends.

We got there 5 minutes before opening at lunchtime on Saturday, and there was already a line down the street. Very promising.

Our group of five split the Full Monty. They were out of turkey by the time we reached the front, so we were able to sub for the bacon burnt ends.

Full Brisket: 2/5 - I think we may have just gotten it on an off day, but the brisket was dry and there was no fat on the cuts we got. The flavor was good, but overall it was lack luster compared to the other items. We definitely want to retry next time.

Pork Ribs: 5/5 - I thought these were some of the best ribs I have ever had! They were flavorful, juicy, and fell off the bone. I’m told by a friend the falling off the bone means they are over cooked, but to me, they didn’t taste over cooked at all.

Sausage (Jalapeño Cheddar): 5/5 - Best sausage I’ve ever had. Juicy and flavorful. The group was fighting over the last bite.

Pulled Pork: 5/5 - It was great pulled pork, but it did not necessarily stand out as much as some of the other items. Paired well with all of the BBQ sauce offerings.

Bacon Burnt Ends: 5/5 - Best burnt ends I’ve ever had. Another one where the group was fighting over the last bite. We were not upset at all when we had to sub this for turkey.

Mac N Cheese: 5/5 - Very creamy shells with a white cheese sauce. Not overly cheese and kind of buttery.

Potato Salad: 5/5 - Not too Mayo-y and very flavorful. Some of the group wasn’t a fan of potato salad until trying this one.

Baked Beans: 5/5 - Delicious, smokey, and sweet.

And last but not least, we all shared some banana pudding. It was delicious and the Biscoff cookies instead of vanilla wafers were a surprising but well paired substitution.

We were very happy (and very full) after lunch and can easily say this is some of the best BBQ we have ever had, in and out of Kansas City! We can’t wait to come back.

BEST

Pros:
Bacon burnt ends. These are FANTASTIC!
Pork Ribs. Fall off the bone tender. Excellent.
Hot link / sausage. Really good flavor.
Mac & cheese. Loved the bow tie noodles.
Sauces. Enjoyed the BBQ sauces.
Deserts. Amazing
Atmosphere. I like the building it’s in.

Cons:
Beef brisket. DRY. No moisture. Probably the worst beef brisket I’ve ever had.
Beans. They’re much to plain. The sauce the beans come in is good but the beans themselves could have been softer. What I discovered is when I added pieces of rib & sausage to the beans and it all mixed with the sauce, it was MUCH better. The beans would be better if they added more to the mix. It’s bland by themselves.

Bottom line: When the food here hits, it’s really good. The misses were really bad. For Kansas City BBQ it’s not bad so I’d recommend you stop in.

Flawless bbq. Brisket is the measuring stick and they nail it; tender but not falling apart, well developed bark but not dry, smoke flavor but not bombed out. Great attention to the sides and deserts. Cheesy corn but elote style-- yes! Daily specials that offer *just enough* flair to make them unique but not pretentious. Great atmosphere down in the West Bottoms. Bravo Chef.

AMAZING! We got the #Beastmode and the Meat Plater, 3 meat with 2 sides. Everything is super yummy so get a platter to try it all! Don’t forget to leave room dessert.

The food was absolutely amazing! We were looking for a good bbq place while visiting KC and it did not disappoint! There wasn’t one thing we tried that we didn’t like, all the meats were tender and delicious, the bbq sauces were amazing, and the banana pudding is a must!!

The ribs and brisket is some of the best in KC. Justin is very friendly and informative on all the dishes he serves. A must stop BBQ joint.

We had bacon burnt ends, brisket, pulled pork, elotes, Mac n cheese, cole slaw, and cucumber salad.
The bacon burnt ends were amazing. Texture and flavor were perfect.
The brisket was a little dry but had good bark, smoke, and overall flavor.
The pulled pork was tender and juicy but lacked a little on flavor. But that was totally outshined by pairing it with their mustard sauce.
The cucumber salad and cole slaw were a bit lacking in flavor.
The Mac n cheese was good but pretty run of the mill.
But the best part of the entire meal was the elotes. That was the best corn I've ever had in my life.
The staff were friendly and helpful. The restaurant was clean and the atmosphere was good albeit a little noisy.
Overall 4/5 and we will definitely be back.

First, they don't do beef burnt ends. They only do pork belly burnt ends. But they were good.

Now the brisket is another story. Thickly sliced, perfect smoke ring, fell apart on my fork, melt in your mouth, and perfect smoky flavor. Without a doubt the best brisket I've ever had at a restaurant. I didn't even try sauce on it.

I also tried the sausage and it was excellent. I also need to mention that none of these 3 meats were overly salty, which is a plus in my opinion.

They provided 3 cups of sauce with my combo meal, and 2 sides. The 3 cups of sauce were also excellent. There was a mustard-based one that went well with the sausage, as did the standard sauce. I actually didn't try the sweet sauce, even though I typically do at other BBQ restaurants. I had the BBQ beans and the cheesy corn. Both were plenty good.

Have not tried the bread pudding yet, but my wife loved it. For me, the 3 meat combo was more than I could eat.

I will be back. That brisket alone will bring me back for more. I'll bring family and friends with me, too, because they need to try this. It really is that good.

Other details...I didn't use the rest room, so I don't even know if they have one. They have a self serve Coca Cola fountain. The place seemed clean, the floors weren't greasy, the tables weren't greasy. The building is rustic. Parking was tricky. I don't know if there was some sort of event going on, but lots of roads were blocked off and filled with pedestrians, so I'm guessing something was going on. So I guess I can't really comment on the parking, either.

If you love BBQ brisket, this is your place. I can't say enough about it.

Delicious food!